Imagined climate futures and collective action: An analysis of affect in dystopias and utopias by young climate activists

Abstract

In recent climate mobilisations, young people have emerged as key leaders, organisers, and influencers of social change. This article examines how utopias and dystopias, embedded in affective-discursive practices, are articulated by young climate activists to support their engagement in collective action. We analysed discourse from four focus group discussions and two pair interviews with young climate activists (total participants n = 26, ages 15–32) from groups such as School Strike for Climate in Portugal. The findings challenge much of the existing scholarship that emphasises utopias and hope as isolated experiences promoting collective action. Instead, emotionally elaborated dystopias were central in framing the present crisis and motivating engagement. From there, utopian impulses and hope emerged through solidarity and collective work, giving rise to ‘real’ utopias—practical visions of inclusive and negotiated future societies that embraced contingency and possibility. The article discusses how young activists intertwine imaginaries, emotions, and actions as strategic tools for world-making, highlighting their implications for theories of collective action.